Automated Ship and Shore Crane Coordination for Container Unloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional container transportation operations at ports require significant human intervention, leading to low efficiency, high labor costs, and safety concerns due to the complexity of the environment.
Innovation Solution
A ship unloading and loading control system that integrates a scheduling center, ship control system, and shore crane control system to automate the process, exchanging information to manage container movements and operations without human intervention, thereby improving efficiency and reducing labor requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional manual operations are used for container loading/unloading, then human intervention provides operational flexibility, but labor costs increase and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the shore crane control system autonomously performs container loading and unloading operations based on pre-generated tasks. The ship control system automatically navigates the vessel to designated positions, and the shore crane automatically executes hoisting operations without human operators, allowing the system to serve itself and eliminating the need for manual labor while improving productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated control system. The shore crane control system uses electronic control signals to operate the crane mechanisms instead of manual cable-pulling or lever-operated systems. The ship control system uses automated navigation and positioning systems rather than manual steering and positioning, substituting mechanical human-operated systems with electronic automation to improve efficiency and reduce labor costs
2Productivity
If automated control systems are implemented, then labor costs are reduced and efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated control system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a scheduling center system that generates tasks, a ship control system that handles navigation and positioning, and a shore crane control system that executes hoisting operations. Each module operates independently with defined interfaces, reducing overall system complexity by dividing the complex automation task into manageable, specialized subsystems that can be developed and maintained separately
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduling center system acts as an intermediary between the ship control system and the shore crane control system. It receives ship information and container information, generates appropriate tasks, and transmits them to the relevant control systems. This intermediary layer simplifies communication by providing a standardized interface and task format, reducing the complexity of direct coordination between the ship and crane control systems
3Reliability
If manual operations are used, then operational flexibility is maintained, but safety concerns increase due to environmental complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system removes human operators from the hazardous port environment by enabling the shore crane and ship to perform operations autonomously. The shore crane control system automatically executes container handling tasks without human operators present in the operational area, eliminating exposure to safety risks from moving equipment, heavy containers, and complex maritime environments while maintaining operational reliability
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a ship unloading control system, a ship loading control system and related systems and apparatuses, capable of achieving fully automated ship loading and unloading. The ship unloading control system includes: a scheduling center system configured to generate a ship unloading plan based on ship information and container information of a target ship and shore crane apparatus information, generate a ship berthing task and a ship unloading task based on the ship unloading plan, and transmit the ship berthing task and the ship unloading task to a ship control system of the target ship and a shore crane control system of a target shore crane apparatus, respectively; the ship control system configured to transmit the ship information and the container information to the scheduling center system, control the target ship to move to an operation area corresponding to the target shore crane apparatus in accordance with the received ship berthing task, and transmit a ship in-position notification message to the shore crane control system of the target shore crane apparatus; and the shore crane control system configured to control, upon receiving the ship in-position notification message from the ship control system, the target shore crane apparatus to load a container on the target ship onto a transportation vehicle in accordance with the ship unloading task.